Sold out of The Wave? Five backups that don’t need the lottery
The Wave caps entry at 64 people a day, and neither the BLM nor Recreation.gov publishes odds for its lotteries, so a permit is never something to count on. If you didn’t win, the same corner of the Southwest is full of comparable rock with different access rules.
A separate permit area nearby
Coyote Buttes South has the same wavy, banded sandstone as its famous neighbor and is a separate permit area: the BLM page says it has its own advance lottery on Recreation.gov. We found no official figures to compare the odds of the two, so treat it as a second ticket in the draw rather than an easy one. Buckskin Gulch, one of the longest slot canyons on earth, uses simple day-use permits.
These aren’t consolation prizes: they’re destinations people travel for on their own merits.
Visiting the area? A guided trip is a separate booking
This is a tour of the area, not a permit: it neither includes nor replaces the permit for the hike in this guide.
Exact tour we link to:Upper Antelope Canyon Hike
See guided visits & pricesBooking partner: Civitatis. Cancellation terms change from tour to tour: read them on the booking page before you pay.
No-permit options
White Pocket delivers surreal, brain-like rock with no permit at all; you just need a high-clearance vehicle or a guided tour to reach it. Many visitors who miss The Wave end up rating White Pocket just as highly.
Play the daily geo-lottery
If your heart is set on The Wave, build flex days into your trip and enter the daily lottery for each day you are in the area: it holds 16 of the 64 daily places, separately from the advance draw. The guide “How The Wave lottery works” has the window, the geofence and the fees.
Frequently asked questions
Is Coyote Buttes South really similar?
It has the same geology and formations like The Second Wave. It is a separate permit area with its own advance lottery on Recreation.gov, and we found no official odds to compare it with The Wave.
Can I see White Pocket without a permit?
Yes. White Pocket needs no permit; access is the only hurdle, so plan for a capable vehicle or a tour.
Sources
Official pages read for this guide
- BLM: Coyote Buttes North (The Wave) · read on Oct 16, 2026
- BLM: Coyote Buttes North Daily Lottery (The Wave) FAQs · read on Oct 16, 2026